Why is my streaming buffering?
Restart the app and the streaming device first — on a symmetrical fiber line, buffering is almost never a bandwidth shortage.
Start with the arithmetic, because it settles the question fast. A 4K stream from a major service typically runs somewhere around 15–25 Mbps. HD is a few Mbps. Even on Base 300, that's several 4K streams at once with room left over. If one show buffers while everything else in the house is fine, bandwidth isn't the constraint.
- Force-close and reopen the app. Streaming apps hold onto a bad session far longer than they should.
- Restart the streaming device. Unplug the TV, stick, or console for 30 seconds.
- Try the same title on another device. If it plays fine on your laptop, the problem is the first device or its app.
- Try a different service. If only one service buffers, it's their platform — check whether they're reporting problems on their own end.
- Wire the streamer if you can. TVs and sticks are usually the weakest Wi-Fi devices in the house — small antennas, often mounted behind a metal screen, often on 2.4 GHz. An Ethernet cable removes the whole variable.
- Move it closer to the router, or move the router out of a cabinet, if wiring isn't practical.
- Turn off any VPN on the device or router and retest. Streaming traffic through a VPN often lands you on a congested exit and a lower-quality stream.
- Check the aging device. A streaming stick from several years ago may simply not decode the format at full quality anymore.
One thing you can rule out: your upload. Every plan is symmetrical, so the upstream side of a stream request is never the bottleneck the way it can be on an asymmetric cable connection.
Leaving a cable package behind. If you are working out what replaces cable TV, our streaming guide covers free local broadcast channels, what a Boston or Brookline library card gets you, and running your own library.
If that didn’t work
Run a wired speed test, then call (617) 693-9434 with the result and the name of the app that's buffering.
More in Troubleshooting
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- Why is my speed test slower than my plan?
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- How do I know if there's an outage in my area?
- Why do my video calls and games lag?
Talk to us
Call (617) 693-9434, Monday to Friday 8am–6pm ET, or email [email protected]. We answer within 24 hours, and usually within an hour.
Boston Broadband is a service-area business serving Boston, Brookline and Cambridge, Massachusetts. There is no counter to walk up to — phone, email and your account at myaccount.bostonbroadband.com are the ways in.